Really? Spooked Karen Bass Replaces Top Strategist With Former Kamala Harris Campaign Manager

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass must be quaking in her boots after seeing so many socialists do well in recent elections, especially in New York.

She’s coming off a controversial primary fight against wildfire victim Spencer Pratt and LA Councilwoman Nithya Raman. Pratt led Raman as the initial numbers came in, but in the days that followed, Raman overtook him. Unbelievably, the vote still hasn’t been certified, but at last count, Bass had garnered 34.27 percent of the vote while Nithya is in second at 29.02 percent, which means they’ll face off in the general election in November.

Pratt, who ran a strong campaign, is in third with 25.53 percent.

But Raman is a Democratic Socialist, and they seem to be the flavor of the day for leftist voters. Bass has responded to the threat by moving on from her campaign manager and replacing him with… a former campaign strategist for both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ failed 2024 efforts? Seems like a weird plan.

Sounds like all is not well in Bassworld:

Douglas Herman, who has worked with Bass since 2021, told The Times on Wednesday that he stepped down from the campaign earlier in the day. He is being replaced by Julie Chávez Rodriguez, who was campaign manager for the Biden and Harris presidential campaigns in 2024, a Bass spokesperson said.
Chávez Rodriguez has spent the past few months running Unidos Con Karen Bass 2026, an independent expenditure campaign that focused on Latino voter turnout during the primary.
Herman, asked about his departure, said he left due to “strategic differences” regarding the direction of the reelection campaign. He did not provide details.
The Bass spokesperson, Alex Stack, declined to discuss Herman’s exit.

#LosAngelesMayor

LA Times: In internal shakeup, Mayor Karen Bass replaces her top campaign strategist

The top strategist for Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ reelection bid has left her campaign, just as she is gearing up for a bruising showdown against City Councilmember Nithya…
— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) June 24, 2026

LA Times: In internal shakeup, Mayor Karen Bass replaces her top campaign strategist
The top strategist for Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ reelection bid has left her campaign, just as she is gearing up for a bruising showdown against City Councilmember Nithya Raman in the Nov. 3 runoff.

Bass has been in the news lately, and usually not for very good reasons:

Los Angeles Is Burning Again. Karen Bass and Gavin Newsom Are Once Again Slow Rolling Their Response

Some strategists think it's a bad move. I mean, let’s be honest, Biden’s failed campaign, which he had to abandon, followed by Kamala’s effort, didn’t go so well. I’m not sure why you’d want the manager of those disasters leading your team:

“Mayor Bass essentially replaced a team of professionals that worked with Barack Obama for one that worked with Kamala Harris — not a good trade in my opinion,” strategist Matt Klink told The California Post.
“The rationale of ‘strategic differences’ could mean anything, but it does suggest a mayoral campaign that’s worried and not confident heading into November’s general election,” he added.

Although I’m no fan of the mayor, Raman is even worse. She just tried to ban barbecues on hot days; that should tell you all you need to know.

Neither of those two leftists is good for Los Angeles. Pratt was our only hope for improvement in the declining City of Angels. For his part, though, the media-savvy former reality TV star says he’s not going anywhere. As our Ben Smith reported, he’s feeling energized:

"Hey morons. I didn't get in this for political power. I got in this to expose this corrupt machine. Nothing's changed. You enjoy your worthless meetings in City Hall. I've been lighting you up every single day and now I don't have to worry about offending CNN viewers. I don't have campaign laws hamstringing me now. It's war."